as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
resistance from native forces was greater than expected, and the invading army was forced to fall back
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fall back
Even when new songs have come for the crown, a lot of them have only remained briefly at the top before falling back behind the top 10’s longterm residents in 2025.
—
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
If there's a grey area, the co-CEOs can always fall back on Hastings, the company's co-founder and CEO of 25 years.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
In the second quarter conference call, Madden’s CEO said the company moved some production for fall back to China where it was deemed to be too difficult to ensure on-time delivery, product quality and/or reasonable pricing in an alternative country.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth, with up to four burning up in the atmosphere each day, according to space trackers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall back
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
If there's a grey area, the co-CEOs can always fall back on Hastings, the company's co-founder and CEO of 25 years.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
In the second quarter conference call, Madden’s CEO said the company moved some production for fall back to China where it was deemed to be too difficult to ensure on-time delivery, product quality and/or reasonable pricing in an alternative country.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth, with up to four burning up in the atmosphere each day, according to space trackers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall back
Verb
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Hamas fired towards Israeli forces beyond the Yellow Line – the line behind which Israeli troops have withdrawn according to the ceasefire deal – in three separate incidents on Sunday, according to another military official.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan following the deaths of three local cricketers, which the Afghanistan Cricket Board attributed to military strikes in Paktika province.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the example below from their 2-1 win over Girona, Barcelona man-mark the opposition midfielders but Fermin Lopez’s passive positioning allows a pass into retreating centre-forward Portu.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Teddy demands that Michelle take him and Don to her Andromedan leader in the hope of forcing the invaders to retreat.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McNeill dropped back and scrambled for a few seconds before finding Kash Kelly in the end zone for a touchdown.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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With space, Alejado dropped back and quickly spotted another wide-open target, Nick Cenacle.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Charlotte 49ers were on the brink of pulling out a season-changing upset through three quarters against North Texas (7-1, 3-1 American), but a dreadful fourth quarter brought Tim Albin’s upset hopes crashing down, losing 54-20 in a Friday night blowout.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Oct. 2025
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Measure Carefully Time to pull out your kitchen scale.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jackson, 67, announced plans to retire from performing due to the disease, with his final show scheduled for June 2026.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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What started as a weekend hobby quickly grew into a full-fledged business, and Molski, who has since retired from healthcare sales, couldn't be happier to spend his weekends hunting and restoring vintage pieces.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fall back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20back. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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